This article needs additional citations for verification .(February 2024) |
Spark Bridge | |
---|---|
Road into Spark Bridge from the north | |
Location within Cumbria | |
OS grid reference | SD305849 |
Civil parish | |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ULVERSTON |
Postcode district | LA12 |
Dialling code | 01229 |
Police | Cumbria |
Fire | Cumbria |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Spark Bridge is a village in the Westmorland and Furness district, in Cumbria, England, within the Lake District National Park, and within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. [1] The former mill village is situated away from the main road on the River Crake which flows from Coniston Water to Morecambe Bay at Greenodd. The village green which is next to and gives access to the river is in the middle of the village surrounded by well maintained white painted cottages.
Most of the village is in the civil parish of Egton with Newland, which has a joint parish council with Mansriggs and Osmotherley; [2] an area including the Farmer's Arms pub is in the adjacent parish of Lowick, to the north, and the area east of the River Crake is in the parish of Colton.
Spark Bridge bobbin mill, using power from the river, employed 60 people in the 1857, at which time it produced "1800 gross" (ie 1800x144 =259,200) bobbins per week. [3] The mill diversified after the cotton industry declined, and was active for much of the 20th century. [4]
There are two public houses, The Royal Oak Inn at the centre of the village, and The Farmers Arms, a listed building rescued in 2021 by local arts charity Grizedale Arts, supported by loan stock investors and local and international donors. The diversified pub now offers crafts classes, talks and events and a holiday apartment as well as a bar, restaurant, cafe and outdoor pizza oven. [5] [6] The village also has its own postbox, a telephone box and a bus stop. The bus X 12 runs Monday to Saturday to Coniston or in the other direction to Ulverston and Barrow in Furness.
Canoeists use the village green to leave the river at this point, often using the nearby village hall as a base.
The River Crake passes from Coniston Water four miles away through Spark Bridge en route to the Leven Estuary.
In November 2009 many of the tributaries feeding the River Crake overflowed, feeding water on the local road network. It was described as a once in a thousand-year flooding event by the Environment Agency. Cumbria Police closed the main bridge on Thursday night around 7 p.m. to all on foot and in cars, they feared that the damage could have been caused to the bridge but a later examination showed that it was undamaged.
Ulverston is a market town and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few miles south of the Lake District National Park and just north-west of Morecambe Bay, within the Furness Peninsula. Lancaster is 39 miles (63 km) to the east, Barrow-in-Furness 10 miles (16 km) to the south-west and Kendal 25 miles (40 km) to the north-east. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678.
Kirkby Lonsdale is a town and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically in Westmorland, it lies 13 miles (21 km) south-east of Kendal on the A65. The parish recorded a population of 1,771 in the 2001 census, increasing to 1,843 at the 2011 Census.
Coniston Water is a lake in the Lake District in North West England. It is the third largest by volume, after Windermere and Ullswater, and the fifth-largest by area. The lake has a length of 8.7 kilometres, a maximum width of 730 metres (800 yd), and a maximum depth of 56.1 m. Its outflow is the River Crake, which drains into Morecambe Bay via the estuary of the River Leven. The lake is in the unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness, and the ceremonial county of Cumbria.
Furness is a peninsula and region of Cumbria, England. Together with the Cartmel Peninsula it forms North Lonsdale, historically an exclave of Lancashire. On 1 April 2023 it became part of the new unitary authority of Westmorland and Furness.
Greenodd is a village in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) north-east of Ulverston. At the northern end of the Furness peninsula, it was historically part of Lancashire.
The River Crake is a short river in the English Lake District. The name probably derives from the Celtic languages and means rocky stream. The river drains Coniston Water from its southernmost point and flows for about 6 miles (9.5 km) in a southerly direction before joining the upper estuary of the River Leven at Greenodd. The river is in the historic county of Lancashire, but in an area that formed part of the county Cumbria after the 1974 reorganisation of local government.
Staveley is a village in the Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority, in Cumbria, England. Historically part of Westmorland, it is situated 4 miles (6 km) northwest of Kendal where the River Kent is joined by its tributary the Gowan. It is also known as Staveley-in-Westmorland and Staveley-in-Kendal to distinguish it from Staveley-in-Cartmel. There are three civil parishes – Nether Staveley, Over Staveley and Hugill (part). Their total population at the 2011 Census was 1,593 but this includes those living in the hamlet of Ings in Hugill parish.
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England. It lies within the Lake District National Park and was historically part of Lancashire. The parish includes the hamlets of Hawkshead Hill, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the north west, and Outgate, a similar distance north. Hawkshead contains one primary school and four public houses.
Coniston is a village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,058, decreasing at the 2011 census to 928. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, it is in the southern part of the Lake District National Park, between Coniston Water, the third longest lake in the Lake District, and Coniston Old Man.
Blawith and Subberthwaite is a civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority of Cumbria, England. It is situated in the Lake District National Park, and includes the villages of Blawith and Subberthwaite. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 189. At the 2011 census Blawith and Subberthwaite was grouped with Torver giving a total population of 265.
Grizedale Arts is a contemporary arts residency and commissioning agency based in Cumbria, England. Its primary artists' residency space is the former hill farm Lawson Park, sited on the edge of Grizedale Forest in the central Lake District. It also owns and runs a hybrid pub / arts centre The Farmer's Arms at Lowick, a listed building that was purchased with the support of investors and donors during the Covid19 pandemic. Grizedale Arts produces cultural projects locally, nationally and internationally with a particular focus on Japan, where a number of significant long term projects in rural communities have evolved. The focus of the organisation is on developing emerging artists and producing experimental projects that demonstrate the function of art as an everyday aspect of a worthwhile and productive life. The organisation is financially supported by Arts Council England. Adam Sutherland MBE, director since 1999, guest-curated 'The Land We Live In, The Land We Left Behind' for Hauser & Wirth Somerset in 2018, a major historic and contemporary survey of rural cultures that attracted over 40,000 visitors to the galleries in Bruton.
Lowick is a village and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness district of the ceremonial county of Cumbria, England. Prior to 1 April 1974 it was part of Lancashire, the change being as a result of the Local Government Act 1972. From 1974 to 2023 it was in South Lakeland district. The village appears in records as early as 1202 as Lofwik, and later as Laufwik: the name derives from the Old Norse "Lauf-vík".
Portinscale is a village in Cumbria, England, close to the western shore of Derwentwater in the Lake District National Park 1+1⁄2 miles from Keswick.
Egton with Newland, sometimes written as "Egton-with-Newland", is a civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority of the English county of Cumbria. It includes the villages of Greenodd and Penny Bridge, and the hamlets of Arrad Foot, Newland and Newland Bottom. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 898, decreasing at the 2011 census to 817.
St Mary's Church is on a site overlooking the villages of Penny Bridge and Greenodd, in the parish of Egton with Newland, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmorland with Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of St Andrew, Coniston, St Luke, Torver, St Luke, Lowick, and Holy Trinity, Colton.
Holy Trinity Church is located to the east of the village of Colton, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Furness, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice has been united with those of St Andrew, Coniston, St Luke, Torver, St Mary the Virgin, Egton-cum-Newland, and St Luke, Lowick. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
Osmotherley is a civil parish in Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria, England, extending north from Ulverston. The village of Broughton Beck is the largest settlement in the parish. Before local government reorganization in 1974, Osmotherley was in Lancashire. Since 2003 it has a joint parish council with Mansriggs and Egton with Newland.
Mansriggs is a settlement and civil parish in the Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority, in the county of Cumbria, England. Because of its small population, in the 2011 census the parish was grouped with Osmotherley. It has a joint parish council with Egton with Newland and Osmotherley. Mansriggs was Manslarig in 1520. Mansriggs Hall is a two-storey farmhouse in the parish.
Egton with Newland is a civil parish in the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England. It contains eleven listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, two are listed at Grade II*, the middle of the three grades, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade. The parish contains the villages and settlements of Greenodd, Newland, and Penny Bridge, and the surrounding countryside. The listed buildings include former industrial buildings at Newland, houses, bridges, and a public house.
Media related to Spark Bridge at Wikimedia Commons